Construction Worker First to Benefit from Cath Lab He Helped Build

PLANO, Texas – Shortly after Medical City Plano’s advanced cardiac catherization lab opened, a construction superintendent for the project became the first patient to benefit from the lab’s new technology. Equipped with the latest medical imaging tools, the cath lab allows doctors to quickly get a better visual of a patient’s heart, using less radiation, resulting in a shorter procedure time.

Construction superintendent Ruben Arismendez was following up on the cath lab project, which opened in June, when he began experiencing heavy breathing and shortness of breath. Medical City Plano EKG technician Larissa Chern immediately recognized that Arismendez was having heart symptoms and directed him to the hospital’s emergency room (ER).

“He was short of breath and sweating heavily,” Chern recalled, noting symptoms of a possible heart attack.

In the ER, tests confirmed heart blockage serious enough to send Arismendez to the new cath lab. Interventional cardiologist Gautam Reddy, MD, said the cath lab’s new technology allowed him to quickly locate five artery blockages, without using the high dosages of radiation traditionally needed in cath lab procedures.

“Medical City Plano’s new cath lab technology allows physicians to see the patient’s heart with more accuracy and visibility,” Dr. Reddy said. “In Ruben’s case, this technology let us see the extent of his blockage and change his course of treatment accordingly.”

After recuperating from bypass surgery, Arismendez says he feels good and is happy for a second chance at life.

“At Medical City Plano, we understand that investing in leading-edge technology and facilities, like our new cardiac cath lab, translates into life-saving advantages for our patients,” said Charles Gressle, CEO of Medical City Plano. “Our goal is to provide the best possible treatment to get our patients back to their lives faster and feeling better than ever.”